Power Outage Creates Nightmare Commute for LIRR Riders
Rail riders lamented another morning of frustrating travel woes Wednesday as a power outage in the East River tunnels forced the Long Island Railroad to suspend service to and from Penn Station for hours, crippling the commute and drawing backlash on social media.
Trains began chugging slowly in and out of Penn Station by mid-morning, but residuals delays into and out of the busy travel hub lingered through the afternoon. Shuttle trains were running between Jamaica and Penn stations every 15 minutes and at 30-minute intervals between Penn Station and Forest Hills, Kew Gardens and Woodside.
The railroad said it anticipates operating on a normal schedule for the evening rush, but riders were cautioned to expect delays and cancellations if temporary repairs did not hold.
Parents, 2 Kids Dead After Suspicious NJ Fire: Officials
Signal problems west of Jamaica stalled trains at the start of the commute, forcing passengers onto packed subway platforms even before the power outage in the tunnel forced the suspension.
The railroad slowly brought service back on track over the course of the day. By mid-afternoon, scattered delays due to lingering congestion had dropped to about 15 minutes, on average, and NYC Transit stopped cross-honoring LIRR tickets.
